1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to a self-contained liquid application-storage device and in particular to a device which is hand held and provides leak-proof, finger-controllable feed to an applicator brush.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Liquid applicators have been in various forms, the most common being assemblies using a brush for actual application. Brush-type applicators have had disadvantages during storage and use.
The conventional brush-type liquid dispensers have been in the form of a small container with a screw cap to which a brush assembly is attached. During storage, the brush is immersed in the liquid in the container. In use, the cap is unscrewed and the brush, wet with the liquid and often dripping, is removed. Application requires two hands, the reservoir and applicator being separate units, and is often messy since there is no way to control the amount of liquid on the brush except to wipe off the excess.
Liquid dispensers have been developed in which a closed liquid fountain or liquid reservoir and a brush applicator are integrated into one unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,932,046 issued Apr. 12, 1960 to B. Skolnikoff shows a fountain-applicator device with which liquid is applied by a brush. The brush is retractable such that during storage, it is housed within the tip of the device but not within the reservoir itself. No provision is made for keeping the brush moist and the brush tends to dry and stiffen during periods of non-use. In use, the brush is extended beyond the tip and liquid flows to it by gravity. No control of the feed is provided so there is consequently a possibility that either too little or too much liquid will reach the brush for the desired application.
Another gravity-fed reservoir-applicator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,299, issued May 22, 1962 to W. Gordon, et al. The liquid is applied by a retractable brush which, during use, is extended from its storage enclosure. Feed is by gravity but some metering of the flow is accomplished by mounting the brush in an extension of the reservoir in such a way that applicative wiping pressure upon the brush unseats a valve connected to the brush and allows a quantity of liquid to pass to it from the reservoir. This assembly prevents dripping but is not precise in controlling liquid flow during application.
The use of positive feed to an applicator brush from an integral reservoir is known and was shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,992, issued Dec. 26, 1967 to F. Cishek, et al. In the device shown in this patent, liquid is force-fed from a reservoir through a tube to a brush applicator by a screw-actuated plunger. The brush applicator is retractable for storage. However, there is no mechanism to keep the brush moist during storage and this can cause the brush to stiffen as liquid residue on the brush dries.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,611,915, issued Sept. 30, 1952 to L. Prokop et al. and U.S. pat. No. 2,682,070, issued June 29, 1954 to H. LeMoine also disclose fountain-type applicators which have brush tips and non-gravity liquid feed. In these devices, some control over the supply of liquid to the brush is provided but precise control is unavailable.
The prior art, as exemplified above and as it relates to self-contained fountain type liquid applicators, has an unfulfilled need for applicators which offer both easily operable accurate control of liquid supply to an integral brush and a method for maintaining brush softness during storage.